Injector



(Model.)

JpLoPTUs.

INJBGTOB..

No. 300,002. PatentedJune 10, 1804.

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JOHN LOFTUS, OF ALBANY, -New' YORK, ASSIGNOR OF Two-THIRDS To GEORGE w.RICHARDSON, oF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

INJECTOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 300,092, dated June 10,1884.

Application filed September 1l, 1883.

To all whom, it may con/cernn Be it known that I, JOHN LOFTUS, ofAlbany, county of Albany, and State of vNew York, have invented certainnew and useful `Improvements in Injectors, of which the following is afull, clear, and eXact..description', reference being had totheaccompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference markedthereon.

My invention hasrelation tothat class of devices employed for raisingand forcing liquids orjiuids, and ordinarily known as injectors.77 Thesedevices are most commonly used for feeding water to steam-boilers, butmay be employed for any analogous purpose.

The object'of myinvention is to produce a simple, compact, durable, andefficient injector of few and simple parts, wherein steam may beemployed economically to raise hot or cold water and deliver itin anunbroken current at the desired point with certainty'and rapidity ofaction, wherein the parts are not liable to become disarranged by anyordinary usage, which may be employed `as a heater of feedwater or as anejector of liquids or iiuids, as occasion may demand, wherein all` theparts are easy of access, and wherein the quantity and pressure of theoutgoing-liquid or fluid andthe quantity of the incoming water may beaccuratelycontrolled. To accomplish all of this, my improvements involvecertain novel and useful peculiarities of construction, relativearrangements or combinations of parts, and principles of operation, allof which will be herein first fully described, and then pointed out inthe claims.

In the accompanying drawings, formingpart of this specification, Figure1 is a central vertical section of an apparatus constructed and arrangedfor operationin accordance with my invention, and Fig. 2 is an elevationor eXterior view of the same. Fig. 3 is an end ele-l vation of the crankemployed for adjusting the regulating-nozzle applied upon thesteaminlet; and Fig. 4 is a front` elevationv of the nozzle, showing thegroove or slot therein for the reception of the crank-pin.

In all these figures like letters of reference, wherever they occur,indicate corresponding arts.

5o A is the shell or main body of the appa- 4from the apparatus.

(Model.)

ratus, made of any suitable material, preferably of brass.

B is a plug threaded into the top ofthe shell, the same having a centralperforation, and terminating in a stem, a, of small diameter, form; ingthe inlet for steam. Upon the top of this plug isa coupling, C D, of anycharacter suitable for connecting withv a steam-conduit.

E is the inlet for water, arranged to be coupled With a water-conduit byany suitable coupling, as F G.

H is a cone, within which steamis projected from the inlet-tube, andthis cone terminates in a small tube, b, called-the suction-tube.

I is the bottom plug,having a tapering opening therethrough,fas Shown atc, arranged to be coupled, as by the coupling K L, with any conduitleading tothe point of delivery and constituting the delivery Outlet ordischarge Upon this plug is supported a short section of pipe M,reaching up to or nearly to the bottom of the suction-tube, perforatedsubstantially as' shown, andhaving overflow-outlet openings, as d d.

N is the Overflow-outlet from the apparatus, through which any excess ofwater is conducted away to any desired point.

At e is a regulating-nozzle, made to move up and down easily upon thesteam-inlet a, and arranged to enlarge or contract the water way orpassage between the bottom ofc and the top ofthe cone or thesuction-tube. This nozzle is provided with a groove at one side, Y

as at f, Fig. 4, in which groove rides a crankpin, g, applied. upon aflat disk, h, the latter having a shaft, t', projecting through a plug,7c, tapped through the side of the jacket or shell, and having athumb-piece, Z, by which it may be conveniently revolved. The disk h ispressed against its seat upon the inner end of plug 7a by a suitablespring, m, so that at this point thereV can be no leakage of steam orwater. By turning the thumb-piece Zthe nozzle e is raised or lowered,and the amount of waterjliowing into or from the apparatus thusperfectly regulated. This means of adjusting thevarea of the water-inletis simple, cheap, and not likely to get out of order. u,

Connected with the stem of the disk is an indicator'pin, a, in full viewof the operator.

IOO

By noting the position of this pin the operator can readily determinethe exact position of the regulating-nozzle Within, and can thusaccurately gage the supply of Water to the apparatus.

the under side of valve 0,Willra1se that valve,

affording a free opening for the escape of steam into the chambersurrounding the combining-cone, from which chamber it passes off throughthe overiiour outlet or passage. Vhen the water is raised, the steam iscondensed, so that the proper volume of steaml and water is f'orcedthrough the combiningcone, and at this time the valve will drop upon itsseat uponthe upper end of the combiningcone, so as to prevent entranceof Water from thelchamber surrounding the cone. Vater finds admission tothis surrounding chamber through the ordinary overiioW-openings, d d,before the Vsteam-pressure is sufficient to force the column of steamand liquid against the boiler-pressure; and if valve o did not close atthe proper time, Water Would continue to circulate through the chamberand combiningcone without entering the boiler.

The suction-tube is shown as loosely mounted inits seat, so that whenthe valve o drops any excessive back-pressure in the chamber surroundingthe combining-cone (which would result from an excessive overflowthrough d d) Will cause this tube to rise, thus automaticallycontracting the area of the inlet for Water, and consequently regulatingthe supply thereof to the apparatus, as may be required for its properWorking. The top of the valve o is provided with two-separate bearingfaces or rings, asoshown-one to abut against the narrow ledge on thesuction-tube and the other to bear upon the stationary seat or guide forsaid tube. When the valve o is down, Water: pressure upon the under sideof the ledge upon the suction-tube Will cause that tube tofrise, asabove explained. XVhen the valve o is raised, as it is bysteam-pressure, it closes against the stationary seat or guide for thesuction-tube and also against said tube, thus preventing steam-pressurefrom raising the suction-tube to any such degree as to materially reducethe inflow of Water, as will readily appear from a consideration oftheconstruction shown. The suction-tube might be made stationary Withoutinterfering with the action of other parts. n

Upon or in connection with the outlet is a check-valve, P,Which shouldbe made to stand vertical or nearly so, in order that it may operate byits own gravity. This has a seat, p, at top and a similar but smallerseat, q, at bottom, and will prevent outflow of liquid or fluid untildisplaced from its seat. Until the pressure of steam is sufficient toraise this valve, (before which the apparatus will not force Water,)steam cannot escape past it, and Will therefore be compelled to enterthe feedpipe. This makes it convenient to employ the steam for heatingthe feed-Water instead of- Wasting it through the overflow, asheretofore.

In many situations-as, for instance, upon locomotives-the injector islocated below the level of water in the tank. In such cases the valve Ioperates also to automatically arrest the outflow of Water from the tankthrough the injector Whensteam is shut off or the in- Y jector not inoperation. The valve P has a central perforation and ahollow stemprojecting slightly below the lower bearing-surface or seat, the purposeof Which is to allow for an escape of any steam or Water which may enterthe chamber` surrounding the top of the valve. This valve may be locatedat any convenient point in the overflow-pipe. Vhen the current of steamand current of Water are properly combined in the combining-tube, theyare projected through the delivery-orifice, after the manner insteam-injectors now in use.

Vith the device above explained, instead of employing steam to raise andforce Water, it may force air or any liquid or fluid for any usefulpurpose; or any fluid or liquid under pressure may be employed. for themotive agent and caused to move any other liquid or iiuid. Instead ofinjecting liquids or iuids, the improved device may be employedprimarily as an ejector-as, for instance, to exhaust anyY vessel ofliquid or fluid.

The device constructed and arranged as above explained is found inpractice to Work Well in connection With hot or cold Water, not subjectto breakage or interruptions of the column of `vvater Within theapparatus after thc same is started, to start automatically after thesupply has been interrupted, (as upon steamvessels,) and generally toadmirably answer the several purposes or objects of the invention, aspreviously stated.

Having now' fully described my invention, what I claim as new, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In an apparatus of the character herein set forth, the suction-pipehaving thc conical mouth or inlet and the cylindrical stem, the latterbeing provided with a movable valve, substantially as shown anddescribed.

2. The steam-inlet pipe having the cylindrical stem, the movable nozzleapplied thereon, means, substantially as explained, for raising andlowering said nozzle from the exterior of 'the apparatus, and thesuction-pipe provided with a gravitating-valve, these several partsbeing arranged and combined substantially as shown and described.

3. In an injector, the hollow plug tapped through the wall or jacket,the nozzle, the disk carryingthe crank-pin and mounted upon a Shaftprojecting through said plug, and a spring IOO IIO

for maintaining the disk in contact with the inner end-of the plug,combined and arranged substantially as shown and described.

4. In combination with the shaft projecting through the hollow plug uponthe side of the injector, provided with a spring and carrying a disk andcrank-pin for operating the regulating-nozzle, the indicator-pinprojecting from said shaft, substantially as and for the purposes setforth.

5. In an injector, the loose check valve mounted upon the lower end ofthe suctiontube, and arranged to automatically close the space betweenthe lower mouth ofthe said tube and the upper mouth of thecombining-cone, the parts being combined and arranged substantially asshown and described.

6. In an injector, the combining-cone havinga check-valve resting uponits upper mouth and overflow-outlets near its base, the saine beingcombined with the suction-tube, deliverytube, and overflow-tube,substantially as and for the purposes explained.

7. In an injector, the suction-tube arranged to be adj ustedautomatically by back-pressure upon its under surface, the saine beingcombined with a check-valve and the combiningcone, substantially as andfor the purposes set forth.

8. In combination with the oVerow-tube of 3o

